Kuntu Village and Schools

Kuntu village was founded about 300 years ago by Kwesi Brebo, a member of the Nsona family. He came from the northern region looking for a place to settle that would have a good source of food. He settled in the place that is now Kuntu because it was near the sea, there was a lagoon rich in crabs and small fish and the soil was very fertile. Unfortunately, the lagoon also had many mosquitoes. To protect himself from mosquitoes, Kwesi Brebo wrapped himself in a blanket. Others who came to the area would say they wanted to live with the man in the blanket. The word for blanket in the Fante language is Kuntu.

The current chief of Kuntu is Nana Kwesi Brebo III (Nana is the title for a chief, much like we use Dr., Mr., Mrs., etc.). His Christian name is Samuel Boison. He is a professional draftsman who worked in the Ghana Geological Survey department. He is responsible for the welfare of the village.  Nana Obo Montoa II is the Kuntu Queen Mother; she also has authority over all matters of the village (Note. Queen Mother is a separate position of the stool, i.e., chieftaincy.  She is a chosen by the village elders.  She is a highly respected member of the royal family and not the wife of the chief).  The chief is assisted by a village council of sub-chiefs and elders who represent different families or clans who live in the village. There is also an elected village development committee.

A major occupation in Kuntu is gathering salt. Sea water is pumped into ponds, evaporated and the salt harvested. The collected salt is sold in markets throughout Ghana.  Fishing and farming are other major occupations in Kuntu.

Students from neighboring Ankaful village and from 3 settlements, Hini, Pebi and Nduapetua, located within Kuntu, attend school in Kuntu.  Kuntu has a pre-school nursery, a primary school that goes to the sixth form (grade), and a Junior Secondary School (JSS) for forms seven through nine.  In 2005 the government made JSS free public education.  After completing JSS, students can attend a government assigned Senior Secondary School, equivalent to our high school, but they must pass a qualification test and there is an SSS fee.  A joint project between Global Elevation, Inc. and Bucks County (Pennsylvania) Chapter of Links, Inc, will repaint the nursery and secondary school in the summer of 2008.

Kuntu Nursery school, primary school and new (2002) JSS school with teacher bungalows in the rear.

Nursery school class                                          Secondary school class